21 Years Ago
21 years ago this week, I traveled up to the St. Louis area from my summer job to hang out with Sarah and her family for the Fourth of July. At that point, Sarah and I had only been on one date at the start of the summer… then she promptly left town for four weeks. (She actually went to the Emerald Coast, which felt a bit personal. I didn’t think our date went that badly—but apparently, she needed a month and a coastline to recover.)
Eventually, she returned to the Midwest, and we went on a second date—which she almost canceled because she wasn’t feeling well. Again, I thought the first date went great!
But on that second date, she asked, “Hey, would you want to come up to my parents’ house for the Fourth of July?”
I wasn’t going to miss a chance to spend time with this incredible woman.
While I was there, her family invited me to come back a few weeks later for her brother’s wedding. Again, I wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to see Sarah.
And while I was there for the wedding, they asked if I wanted to join them on a beach trip to Florida.
So 21 years ago, I came down and played on these white sandy beaches for the first time. I walked the streets of Seaside. I saw the sights… and I fell in love. Probably with the area. But definitely with Sarah.
Less than a year later, we got married on those very beaches.
Now, it’s easy to sum up a story with little highlights and sweet memories. But in reality, those 15 months from our first date to our wedding were full of challenges—just like most people’s stories.
I didn’t have a reliable car, so I bummed rides every time I wanted to visit Sarah in St. Louis.
I was juggling my final year of school, trying to figure out my future, while wondering whether I needed to plan my life around this woman I was falling in love with.
I worked overnight shifts, and Sarah was launching a photography studio—so we were often like ships passing in the night.
She left for Africa for several weeks, and the emotional toll on her (and on us) left us wondering if this relationship could make it.
Then, in the weeks leading up to our wedding, a hurricane hit the exact beach access where we were supposed to get married… along with a string of shark attacks. The state shut down, and we delayed our trip.
A friend called us as we were driving down and asked, “So… are you guys still getting married? With the hurricanes and the sharks and all?”
I’m pretty sure that’s how Sharknado was born.
I’m sure there were more roadblocks and hard moments, but honestly, I don’t really remember them.
See, our stories of faith—our real lives—are filled with obstacles. But when we look back, we often don’t dwell on the hard stuff. We see the good. We remember the grace.
And if we don’t—if all we focus on is the pain, the inconveniences, the disappointments—it’s easy to get stuck.
As people of faith, we’re called to look honestly at the past and still see the goodness threaded through it.
Jesus never promised ease. In fact, he said “In this world you will have trouble.”
But then he added, “Take heart, for I have overcome the world.”
This Sunday, we’ll gather to worship and to remember. We’ll remember Jesus together as we share bread and juice at 9am in our brief communion service, followed by our 10am worship gathering.
This weekend brings a lot of people to town for the Fourth of July, which means there will be challenges—parking, crowds, finding a seat. But my hope is that we don’t let obstacles steal the joy. That we don’t get fixated on the frustrations—but focus instead on the good.
Dallas Willard once wrote:
“Love, we hear, is patient and kind. Then we mistakenly try to be loving by acting patiently and kindly—and quickly fail.
We should always do the best we can in action, of course; but little progress is to be made in that arena until we advance in love itself—the genuine inner readiness and longing to secure the good of others. Until we make significant progress there, our patience and kindness will be shallow and short-lived at best.”
This summer we’ve been looking at the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness. This Sunday we come to goodness.
We need goodness in our lives, in our communities, and in our world—but not a performative or fake goodness. The kind that comes from deep, authentic love. The kind that grows when we intentionally walk with the Spirit, tending our hearts and cultivating that fruit.
I could’ve gone on that first date with Sarah and said, “Hey, I think we’re supposed to get married. Let’s just go ahead and make that happen!”
Which… honestly… I did feel. I told my buddy before we even went on our first date, I’m going to marry Sarah Welker. I had this clear, strange sense that we were meant to be. Like God just revealed it to me. Very bizarre. I can’t explain it.
But thankfully, I kept that to myself. Sarah probably wasn’t quite on board… yet…that would’ve been a bit much on a get to know you coffee date…
It took time. Tending to our relationship. Working through the hard stuff. Making sacrifices. So that from this fragile new connection, love could actually grow.
The same is true of our faith.
We have to tend to it. Work through the challenges. Live obedient lives of surrender. And we’ll begin to see love—and goodness—grow.
There’s no way I could’ve guessed that 21 years later, we’d be leading a church in this same community where I had walked the streets and played on the sandy beaches… now helping people follow after Jesus, be formed by him, abide in him, be changed by him, and embody his ways for the glory of God and the good of others.
But here we are. And that is our hope and prayer for you, too.
You never know what story God is weaving in and through your life. He can take our faults and failures, our dreams and delays, our yeses and noes, and do something beautiful with them—something we never could’ve imagined.
So keep walking. Keep tending. Keep chasing after Jesus.
Take time to reflect. Remember the past. Celebrate the good. And stay faithful on this journey—following steadily after our God and King, the One who offers us freedom and life more abundant than we can imagine.
Here’s what else is happening at The Chapel:
Summer Bible Reading Plan
We are reading through Luke and Acts this summer. Sarah and I are also doing some podcast overviews for each week. We just began Acts this week, so you are never too late to participate. Jump in when you can and see how the scriptures can bless you, your life, and faith.
June 2–August 8 — Pick up a physical bookmark or click here for the digital version.
You can find the podcasts on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you stream.
Egypt 2026 Trip
It is incredibly difficult to read the scriptures without seeing references to Egypt, Jordan, and the journey towards the Promise Land. Sarah and I are excited to invite you to join us and our family on an incredible trip to Egypt. We’ll see all the traditional sites, learn more about the world the Hebrew people lived in and journeyed through and the scriptures will come alive as we experience the world of Egypt. Join us for an unforgettable trip to Egypt and if you can, stick around for the extension to Jordan which will include the Dead Sea, Petra, and Mount Nebo (where Moses could see the Promised Land across the Jordan River).
March 10–20, 2026 (Jordan Extension: March 21–24)
Visit iconic sites, explore the lands of Scripture, and share the experience with friends or family.
Click here for more info and to register
When registering:
Host ID: 60537
Host Name: Andrew Beard
Worship Online
As always, if you are busy, hosting family, out of town, under the weather, or the crowds or heat are too much, we get it. Worship with us online on our website or on our Facebook or listen to the sermon podcasts on Spotify, Apple or wherever you stream.
I hope you will join us for Communion this Sunday at 9am at The Chapel and stick around for worship at 10am. I hope you will remember what God has done and is doing in your life. I hope you will see the ups and downs are inevitable, so our best bet is to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Who knows what story we are living that one day we’ll be telling.
If you need anything at all, let us know and we’ll see you Sunday!
Blessings,
Andrew